Heather Small

71
Heather Small bigraphy, stories - British vocalist

Heather Small : biography

20 January 1965 –

Heather Small (born 20 January 1965) is an English soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000. She was also a contestant in the British television show Strictly Come Dancing in 2008.

Charity work

Small is active in supporting several charities, such as "Beat Bullying", the Aiden Cox Foundation, Mencap (for which she performed) and St Luke’s Midnight Walk. She attended an anti-racism ceremony at 10 Downing Street for "Show Racism The Red Card", attended by Sporting Elite, the Prime Minister and others. Small works regularly with Barnardo’s; in addition she has also recently become an ambassador of Asthma UK, as she suffered from asthma as a child.

Discography

Albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK SWI
2000 Proud

  • Released: June 2000
  • Label: Arista
  • Formats: CD, Cassette
12 81
  • UK: Gold
2006 Close to a Miracle

  • Released: 24 July 2006
  • Label: P&C Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
57
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Singles

Year Song Peak chart positions Album
UK GER SWI
2000 "Proud" 16 92 83 Proud
"Holding On" 58
"You Need Love Like I Do" (with Tom Jones) 24 100 56 Reload
2005 "Proud" (re-release) 33 Ultimate Collection
2006 "Radio On" 107 Close to a Miracle
"Close to a Miracle"
As featured artist
1997 "Perfect Day" (with various artists) 1 37 Non-album single
2007 "Luna" (with Garðar Thór Cortes) Cortes
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Career

1987–1998: Hot House and M People

Small joined her first group, Hot House, while she was still a teenager. She was the studio singer voice of the re-recorded version of UK number 1 single "Ride on Time" from Italo House Band Black Box. After a chance meeting with Manchester DJ Mike Pickering, formerly of Quando Quango, Small and her distinctive voice helped to sell over 10 million albums worldwide singing with his group M People. They had considerable success with songs such as "Moving on Up" and "Search for the Hero". Small has said that her major influence has been singer Elkie Brooks.

In 1997, Small performed on the "Perfect Day" record alongside a wide range of artists including Tom Jones and Lou Reed. The song was the official 1997 Children in Need charity release. It sold over a million copies and was the UK’s number one single for three weeks, in two separate spells.

In 1998, after M People’s "Best Of" album, Small and the band took some time off to pursue solo projects.

2000–2005: Proud

In 2000, Small released her debut solo album Proud and a single of the same name, closely affiliated with the British Olympics team of the time. The single "Proud" was also used for the first season and the last chapter on the finale season of Queer as Folk. "Proud" is Small’s signature song, with which she achieved international success. When Oprah Winfrey was looking for a song to sum up the work she’d been striving to achieve over her twenty-year career, she got in touch with Small and the song "Proud" became the theme song to The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in 2005 Small made her American television debut on the show. Then in 2004 the song became the theme song for the American reality weight loss show The Biggest Loser.